Track Talk: The Honda Indy 200 Preview & 2018 Aero Kits

After an off weekend the IndyCars are back at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Honda Indy 200. We preview the race, pick our favorite’s, but above all- take a glimpse at the new universal aero kit adorning all IndyCars in 2018.

Put your money on Scott Dixon: A five-time winner, nobody has parked an IndyCar in Mid-Ohio victory lane more than Scott Dixon. He’s a favourite to win, but does that make him a favourite for the championship? Maybe. Interesting fact- Dixon has never won Mid-Ohio and the IndyCar championship in the same season.

Don’t count out Graham Rahal: A past winner and a hometown hero, something about racing in front of the local crowd pushes a driver to greatness. Between qualifying second in Toronto and sweeping both races in Detroit, Graham Rahal has both the speed and consistency to bring home the IndyCar championship. What does he need? A win at Mid-Ohio so he can close the gap to the top-four.

Can Helio Castroneves get win number three? You have to go back to the turn of the century for Helio Castroneves’ Mid-Ohio wins. He is a back-to-back winner, and is just as fast as he was back in 2000 & 2001. Can he resurrect his winning ways?

Will there be an upset? Apart from Charlie Kimball taking his first and only IndyCar victory back in 2014, Mid-Ohio hasn’t really lent itself to upsets. Alexander Rossi is coming off a second place in Toronto- his best finish on a road/street course. Can he parlay that momentum into a win on Sunday?

Can Esteban Gutierrez continue his streak? You might be asking- what streak? Fun fact about Esteban Gutierrez- the former Formula One driver has completed all five of his IndyCar career races. Can he keep this streak going? Not a bad stat to have when you’re looking for a 2018 ride.

Track Talk’s picks for Mid-Ohio: Making your fantasy pool picks? Look no further than the past three Mid-Ohio winners. Simon Pagenaud, Scott Dixon, and Graham Rahal are our picks to win the race.

Can Kyle Kaiser extend his lead? There are only four races left on the Indy Lights calendar, with Mid-Ohio hosting a double-header weekend. After sweeping both races in Toronto, Kyle Kaiser holds a 51-point lead over Matheus Leist. If Kaiser can complete the Mid-Oho sweep, then it’s going to be very difficult for anyone to challenge him for the championship.

Silly Season 2018: Outside of the championship much of the off track attention has turned to trying deduce who will be racing where next year. Is Castroneves really off to IMSA with Team Penske? Chip Ganassi Racing going from four to three cars? Andretti Autosport back to Chevrolet? Veteran racing journalists Marshall Pruett and Robin Miller have all the silly season updates on the Marshall Pruett Podcast

And speaking of 2018: Earlier this week IndyCar launched the universal aero kit that will adorn all IndyCars in 2018. It’s getting rave reviews on social media for its looks, but more importantly, both test drivers- Juan Pablo Montoya and Oriol Servia, are predicting a much racier car.